koti surya sama prabha.

The Light one sees may be like the crores of suns. the following is a reproduction of an article i have read.on Prayer. i dont remember where may be the daily or .... but worth contemplating on so.....but i do believe one has to pray only to Thank God for we are ignorant and do not know what is right for us may be by asking we are prolonging the final surrender but everyone has to decide this for themselves.  ..... here goes
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‘More things are wrought with prayer than this world dreams of,’ is well known saying. Let us see the efficacy of prayer. First of all we should be clear as to what is prayer. We pray to have our desires fulfilled, or when we have some problem, or when we are under some stress or difficulty ranging from minor upset to a great calamity. Lastly we pray for others also to alleviate their suffering. Let us examine each to make sure whether they will be granted.

It is the general belief and also a truth that an ardent prayer with complete faith is always answered. Is it true in all cases? Let us take them one by one.

1. A prayer to fulfil a wish, It may be for getting a child or getting married or getting promotion or even getting more wealth and it may be for umpteen desires people always have . Sometimes they also try to bribe God by taking a vow that they will put  thousands of rupees etc. in the hundi or do some other offering treating God like an official in the wide world of bribes. Of course this is despicable and only a business deal. We can never expect the one who owns the universe to be tempted by our offers.  And He knows that if He fulfils one wish of yours you will be back with your begging bowl for another soon. Even the vows like going to Thirumala by foot or any other involving physical hardships are only slightly better because God is not expecting you to torture yourself in order to give what you want . If He does so He will be no better than tyrant. Has He not said “ You give  Me a leaf, a flower, a fruit , or water, with love and I will accept it with relish?” Even that He does not expect from you to do a favour but  only as a sign of your love.

So what happens when these kinds of prayers are made?

We find that our desires are fulfilled sometimes but  not always. It is not because God is not satisfied by what you offer to Him in return of His granting your wish, so that next time you have to raise its value! For He is not a corrupt official of the Government or a corrupt  politician . It is because He knows what you need and what is good for you and what  you are destined for. If a child suffering from cold asks the mother for an ice cream will she give it however much the child pleads and gives all sorts of promises that he will be good and will do this and that etc.? The same mother will gladly give him the ice cream, even two or three when he is well. Similarly God knows when you should have ice cream and when you should have the bitter pill and It is for your own good.

2.When we have problem we pray that it should be solved. There is no problem which cannot be solved. But when we pray we acquire faith that it will be solved which gives us the mental peace and ability to think about the solution. But even then the solution will only come when it does and prayer gives you a patience to wait for it. The most important thing is to stop worrying about the problem once you have prayed fro His help. Then in your mind that becomes clear He plants the thought regarding the solution.

3. When we are in trouble or calamity we pray to Him for relief from suffering  and this becomes a surrender as we find that there is no other refuge than Him we can resort to. This prayer with full faith always fetches result. There is no instance when God has forsaken the devotee in a calamity. But our discretion is to be used because God often comes in human form. We always find that someone  even a stranger comes and helps us in a crisis if we have staunch faith in God. But this does not mean that God forsakes those who have no faith in Him. What happens is the unfaithful strives to get out of crisis himself and in his turbulent mental state he does something wrong and is lost. The thing to remember is faith is not blind but combined with awareness. A man was surrounded by flood and had blind faith in God. He stood on a roof and was saying that God will save him. Three times people came with a boat to rescue him but he refused saying that God will save him. In the end he was drowned. There were devotees who never lifted a little finger to help themselves in a calamity like Abhirami Bhattar but that requires intense devotion that makes one forget about his body and the world since his mind is always absorbed in God. Such people the Lord says, ‘yogakshemam vahaamyaham,’ because they are not able to think or do anything except about God. But do such devotees pray?

4. An ardent devotee who fits the description’ ananyaaschainthayantho maam ye janaaH paryupaasathe’,meaning those who think of nothing else except God and interested in nothing except His service, it becomes the burden of the Lord to look after them as they are like children who have to be looked after by the mother. But do they pray? Yes they do. But what they ask for is not anything worldly , not even protection from a calamity but they pray only for intense bhakthi , that their love for God should never diminish but should go on  growing till it becomes equal to His love. They do not have any desire , do not care if they suffer but they only wish to have the Lord always in their mind and to love Him. They are always happy and revel in the thought of God.

Prahlada said he did not want any boon from the Lord Narasimha because he was always happy and had nothing to ask for. Andal asked only that she should belong to Him and serve only Him and told Him to remove all other desires from her heart. Gora Kumbha even after he cut off his arms himself, was singing an dancing chanting the name of Hari. For them the prayer was naamsankeerthan and not a shopping list. The Lord looked after them without they having to ask for it .

5.Finally the prayer for the sake of others. This is the best of all and the Lord is so pleased that He grants it immediately. That is why the collective prayers always bring result. When we pray for others who are suffering our heart becomes the abode of God and the divinity that is invoked in so many hearts has the power to work miracles.

Hence if at all you want to pray let it be ‘ sarve janaH sukhino bhavanthu.’

Forward of course.